Fighting for Survival
by cknightdance
Summary: When their father escapes the shelter of the vault, Joseph and Valori follow, venturing into the wasteland. But they soon find out that war ravages the wasteland and that finding their father may be about more than reuniting with him. It may be the factor between love and hate, and life and death. Oh, war... War never changes.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own or possess any rights to the Fallout 3 video game. At this time all rights to the Fallout series belong to Bethesda Softworks LLC, a ZeniMax Media Company. This story is my own creative work, and is not in any way a part of the official Fallout series story line. I have included characters from the Fallout 3 story line in this work, however, the characters Valori and Joesph Winchester are my own.**

 **This story is rated "M" for Mature. Content includes intense violence, blood, gore and strong language. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.**

 **ENJOY!**

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 **Prologue:**

Life in the Vault was very... dull. I mean, it was the same schedule every day. Wake up and do some 'task' shit that The Overseer didn't want to do. I'd have a fight with the Tunnel Snakes because they were being a bitch to a little kid, practiced some baseball skills, said goodnight to my brother and father, and went to sleep. Day after day it was the same, and it was boring. Why did my life have to be like this? There's no excitement. Hell, I wasn't even allowed to pick my own job! Sure, I didn't mind being an officer, but I was forced to do that job.

I can vividly remember laying in my bed at night and staring up at my ceiling. I would pretend that all the nooks and crannies were stars. The way the hallway light hit them, they did look like stars, or what I thought stars looked like. I also remember wishing upon every 'star' that something exciting would finally happen. But this... this is not what I wished for.

On the night I left the Vault…

I felt someone shaking me hard enough to turn my brain to mush. Yet, I refused to wake up and open my eyes. I didn't want to get up. I didn't want to have to do my rounds again. Not yet; it was too soon.

I groaned with annoyance. "Damn it, Joesph, please stop. Just thirty more minutes," I begged sleepily.

"No! You have to get up now!" Amata's voice held nothing but worry.

It took all of my strength to sit up - which I did very slowly. I tore my blanket off of me, allowing the cool vault air to hit my bare skin. I rubbed my eyes as I stood in front of Amata. When I was finally able to see her clearly, there was no doubt that she was totally shaken up, probably in shock. _Why is she like this so early in the morning?_ I crossed my arms and kept my legs close together, trying to keep my body warm. "Amata, what's wrong? It's..." I yawned sleepily and looked at the top of my Pipboy. It read 0530. _0530?!_ "0530! Why in the name of Satan did you wake me up two hours before my shift?"

She seemed scattered like she didn't know where to start. "I... my dad... his men... your dad left the Vault!"

I paused for a moment, completely taken off guard. _He left the Vault? You can't leave the Vault!_ "W-what? My dad left? No, no, no, that's bullshit! You can't leave this Vault! You're born in the Vault, you die in the Vault!" I screamed.

She took a hold of my shoulders and looked into my eyes. "I am not bullshitin' you Val! Your dad just left! And my father's-," she cut herself short due to a stir in the opposite corner.

"Val?" My brother called out sluggishly. "What the hell? It's five thirty . . .two? Why are you yell-" He flipped over onto his side so he was looking at me and Amata. _Shit._ "What's she doing here?" he asked coldly as he threw off his blankets and began to shuffle his way over to stand next to me.

 _What do I say to him? He won't believe me, he knows just as well as I do that we can't leave the Vault. It's impossible._ "Our... Joesph, our-"

"Your father left the Vault!" Amata cut me off.

His eyes went wide as his breath got stuck in his throat. It took him a second to register what she said then respond. "No... no, that's not possible. You... you can't leave-"

"Look, I don't know why your father left, but my father's men are after you! The both of you." Amata said before Joesph could continue his confused thoughts.

"Why is he after us?" I asked.

"I don't know! Alright? Maybe it's to keep all the bad things from getting inside. Or maybe it's because it's dangerous in the Wasteland and he doesn't need two more people ending up dead on his hands." She stood there for a moment expecting to get a response from us, but we kept quiet waiting for her to keep explaining. "Ugh! I don't know! God! Maybe he has a grudge against your father and is planning to take it out on you two. But that doesn't matter, you two need to get out of here. My father's men have gone insane! They killed Jonas!"

I felt like all the oxygen had been sucked out of the room, as if Grognak the Barbarian was crushing me slowly beneath his foot. I felt my heart caving in on itself as I thought about Jonas, basically my uncle, being killed in cold blood _. It's not his fault... It's not his fault. Why?_ "Jo-Jonas is dead?"

"Yes," She stated as tears began to form in her eyes. "I'm sorry you had to find out like this. I'm sure he was the one who was suppose to explain it all to you, but you have to go. You need to leave the Vault." She was now looking at my brother. "I can't bear the thought of what would happen to you if my father's men got their hands on you."

"Since when do you care?" My brother asked coldly.

I knew that this was uncharted territory for me. My brother is down right _scary_ when he's upset. He may not be strong enough to do anything physically but he can _fuck_ with you mentally. I cleared my throat. "Alright, I'm going to pack and then scout ahead. I'll meet you at the staircase by Butch's room." I said as I walked over to my dresser and took out my 'Vault 101' jumpsuit, slipping it on with ease. I grabbed my bag that was sitting next to my dresser and began to stuff memory keepsakes into it - photos of Mom and Dad, the BB gun that Jonas and Dad gave me on my tenth birthday, and my mother's favorite verse. I grabbed my baseball bat for protection and would have to go to a certain room to pick up my gun.

All the while the room was silent and my brother's cold stare could burn a hole though Amata's head. I walked over to the door and stopped for a second. _If the Overseer is after us, Joesph doesn't have a lot of time to do whatever the hell he's going to do._ I turned around to face them. "Don't be too long. I wouldn't want to be here when _his men_ arrive." I turned around and hit our door button, then left our room behind.

That happened a month or so after our birthday. Our Dad left the Vault. Just gone. Just like that. He didn't even bother to tell my brother and I. But why? Why didn't he tell us? Why did he leave the Vault? But the biggest question is... why did he leave us behind?

That was the day that our life turned to shit. My brother and I were forced out of our home to live in the Wasteland. It hasn't been easy. Not at all.

But my brother and I we're surviving. With our very different characteristics, no one would even know that we're siblings, little alone twins. Yet somehow someway, my brother and I make a pretty damn well good team. I don't know, and I really don't care. All that matters is that we're still alive. On a quest to find our run away Dad.

And now... now we're here.

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 **Chapter One: It's Been A Long Day**

The day had ended what seemed like forever ago. The sky was now as black as Dogmeats' fur, and the only bit of light was from the waxing crescent moon. I would use my Pip Boy light, but it might have drawn attention to us. My brother, our dog, and I, that is. We found out that our father, James, went to this old, rusting boat called Rivet City. Once we heard where he was, we packed our bags and set out to find the city.

We left at dawn this morning hoping to get there by mid-day, or sometime in the early evening. Well things didn't work out as we planned. Once we set foot inside the D.C. area, there were groups upon groups of Super Mutants, and some scary ass creature that looked like a centipede but it had human body with arms as legs, and octopus's tentacles coming out of its mouth. It seriously looked like it came out of a horror film. I came around to calling them the 'Centipede Thingy-Ma-Jiggy'. A Wastelander heard me call it that and said that the correct term for it was 'Centaur'. I didn't really care of what the correct term for them was. I liked my name better.

Fighting those damn monsters really takes a lot out of my brother and I, but it's not safe to sleep out in the Wasteland, let alone in the D.C. area. So we had to keep going, walking aimlessly in the dark, tired and worn out _. Its been a long day_ , I kept thinking to myself.

My brother was several paces behind me, breathing heavily. He isn't the most physical person in the world. Like at all. He's pretty good with pistols, but it doesn't do much against our enemies closer to the ruins in D.C., but he has other skills that come in handy. Hacking into computers, fixing weapons and armor. Sometimes he's even able to heal wounds. He's completely a total book-worm-nerd. Like our Dad.

 _It's kinda ironic I guess. I look like our Dad while he looks like our Mom. I have Mom's personality while he has Dad's. I don't understand how that works._ I chuckled at my thoughts.

I heard a moan coming from my brother and I rolled my eyes.

"God _damn it_ Val, can we rest for a moment?" My brother weakly asked.

I looked over my shoulder as I spoke. "Joesph, we can't it's too dangerous out here at night. We'll get slaughtered. You should know this... nerd." I ended with a smirk.

He let out an annoyed breath. "How many times do I have to tell you that I like to be called a _scientist_? Or a _hacker_?"

"Until the end of time, little brother."

"C'mon Valori, quit pulling the eldest card on me. You're only older than me by one minute and forty-eight seconds." He said it like it was no big deal.

" _But_ I'm still older than you." I replied and he mumbled something that sounded like 'yeah, yeah'.

It was silent again. Not a sound was heard, except for our feet hitting loose debris and rocks. My mind returned to doing the most dangerous thing it could possibly do. Think. Going into that dark world that is always on my mind. _Why did Dad leave? I needed him. I still do. I was going to die alone in the Vault. All the guys my age were either assholes, totally weird, or I was related to them. The only person I would have would be my Dad. I mean, hell, my brother had a girl and his first kiss before me. I was a loner. I let go of a long sigh. Did I do something wrong? Am I the reason why he left? Did he not want to be there with me for me, as I was on the path of having only him in my life? I would have nothing but him, and maybe that scared him off._ I felt my heart as if it was getting crushed, I slouched over as we walked, trying to fill that emptiness in my chest.

"Val, do you think that Dad is there? Like _really_ there in Rivet City?" He cut me out of my thoughts.

I thought about it for a moment and I didn't know how to answer. I want him to be there... no, I need him to be there. But what if he skipped out on this town as well? I sighed. "I don't know. I hope he is. We'll finally have answers, and maybe we could go back to the Vault and get on with our lives." I cleared my throat. "Lets just get to Rivet City and see, alright? We can rest up there for a few days, and if he isn't there, we'll go check some other cities."

"Well can we at least slow down? I mean it's not like the boat's gonna disappear." He hesitantly said.

I thought for a moment. I didn't want to slow down. I was tired and had scrapes and bruises that would no doubt look ten times as worse tomorrow. I wanted to get there, I wanted to see Dad again, and ,God, I just wanted to wipe off all the grease and dirt and this _God awful_ smell off my body. I sighed before I answered. "You can slow down, I'll scout ahead."

"No!" He responded with nothing but fear in his voice. He cleared his throat before he continued strongly. "No Val, we should stick together if it's really that dangerous." I sighed heavily but stopped at the bottom of some old crummy stairs by the river and waited for him. _How has my brother survived eight months in this Wasteland?_

"Thank you," he said, relieved to catch up to Dogmeat - our dog - and I. "I'm sorry sis, I'm just-"

"Not as strong, endured or incredibly sexy as I am?" I cut him off with a smirk as we began to walk again.

He chuckled. "I find myself pretty attractive. Thank you very much."

"Yeah, says a guy who wears a fedora all the time." I replied, flicking his hat.

"This is a good luck charm, Val." He answered as he fixed his hat. "I've worn it everywhere we've been and we haven't gotten killed yet."

I shrugged in agreement. "True, true. But What about the time that my head was almost sliced off by a rocket? Or my arm almost getting blown off by a shotgun?"

He looked my way and I returned the gaze. "Are you still breathing?"

". . . Yes . . ." I said slowly, _What kinda fucking question is that? Aren't you suppose to be the smart one?_

"Is your head still attached to your shoulders?"

". . . Yes."

"Can you see your hands if you hold them straight out in front of you?" He said as he demonstrated what he said by holding his arms out.

"Yes."

"Then I think that still qualifies as you being alive." He ended with a smirk.

I scoffed. "Fucking smart ass."

"Well you know me, I'm 'the nerd'."

I chuckled at his words. "Damn straight you are. You've got the brains, but you ain't got the strength." I flexed my arm to show him my muscle through my skin tight combat armor.

He looked at his arm curiously. "I don't know, I think I got a little bit." He said as he lifted his arm to mimic mine, only problem was he wasn't flexing, I'm pretty sure he wasn't even sure what that was. I chuckled loudly at my brothers attempt of flexing.

Joesph looked confused and stared at his arm again. "What?"

"You're not flexing."

"Yes I am."

"No your not." I chuckled.

"But... I am."

I shook my head and laughed. "No your not. Your hand needs to be clenched." I said as I turned his lazy hand to a fist. "Then clench your hand as tight as you can... and ,BAM, you're flexing!" His bicep was seen very lightly through his armor.

"See told ya I had a little bit of muscle." He said as we walked down the busted up sidewalk.

"Yes you did... now back to your fedora."

"Not again."

"No, no, no, I'm not going to make fun of it-"

"Like you do daily."

"I was going to ask you if you think that if I wore your fedora, it would still be a good luck charm." I snatched his fedora off his head, placing it on mine, exposing my brother's sleek black hair.

"Valori." He said disgruntled. "You just put your unluckiness all over my fedora." He snatched the hat off my head and began to wipe it, like you could actually see the unluckiness.

I scoffed. " _My_ unluckiness?"

"Yes, _your_ unluckiness. How do you think we've gotten into those horrible situations?"

 _Me..._ "Sheer bad luck?"

He chuckled. "You wish."

"Yeah, yeah." I mumbled. "But I'm still stronger than you." I said changing the subject. "Weakling."

He paused for a moment. "Hey, I'm not that weak... am I?"

I chuckled sarcastically. "You can start a fight, but it doesn't end well for you. All you can do is do your nerdy, sciencey, bookworm stuff."

"And you can't deny that my 'nerdy skills' have been a help to us numerous times." He glanced my way and saw the slight smile that I was trying so desperately to hide. "You damn well know it, too."

I just rolled my eyes. "Excuses, excuses."

He breathed out heavily and licked his lips. "Val, you know you're like Mom and I take after Dad. You have-"

"The brawn's to your brain's and you're the brain's to my brawn's. Two peas in a pod, a packaged deal. Blah, blah, blah. Genetic science bullshit.'" I cut him off again with my 'mimicking brother' voice.

He looked at me like I was a psycho hyped up on drug. "Will you quit doing that?" He pleaded. "You make it sound like we're married or somethin'."

"Eww!" I chuckled "There's no way on God's brown Earth I would ever marry you." I ended with a laugh.

"Hmph, not sure if I should take that as a compliment or an insult."

"It's a straight up insult!" I said jokingly. "Who on Earth would want to marry you?" The words flew out of my mouth before I could stop them. _It was suppose to be a joke. Shit! Valori, what did you do?_ I looked over at my brother, his face instantly dropped to a deep frown. His right hand clutching a necklace that held a wedding ring. I cleared my throat. "Joesph, I'm so-"

"No. Don't apologize... that's all in the past... let's keep it that way." He said with power that could have fooled anyone. Anyone but me. There was so much hurt and pain hidden in those words. It broke my heart to hear it.

It all happened a week or two after our birthday. It was the worst thing that had ever happened to my brother:

 _He walked up to the prettiest girl in the Vault. Amata. With all the confidence he could muster. They'd been secretly dating for three years - since the G.O.A.T. They were only dating secretly because of her father. He wanted her to marry Freddie Gomez because his father was head of the Vault's security.  
_

 _"Amata, can I talk to you .. . privately?" He asked, glancing at me for but a fraction of a second._

 _I took the hint. He was finally going to ask Amata to marry him. Make their feelings for each other be known to everyone. I got all bubbly inside, and I had to hide a squeal of excitement._

 _"Hey, Amata, I gotta bounce. Some new tasks showed up on my Pip Boy. I'll catch ya later."_

 _"Alright, catch ya later." She replied as I walked away from them, rounding a corner a few feet away. I was going to record it and send it to my brother's Pip Boy for memory keepsake._

 _I pushed record as he took a deep breath in. "Amata... we've been dating for quite some time now." He swallowed. "And my feelings for you, my... **love** for you has grown stronger since the first time I saw you."_

 ** _Aw, how sweet._**

 _"There is not a day that goes by that I can't wait to see you again."_

 _"Joesph?"_

 _"Now hold on. I know your father does not like me, but we're old enough to make our own decisions... and I hope you'll choose me." Amata looked utterly confused while Joesph took a deep breath and fished into his back pocket before he went down on one knee. "Amata... will you marry me?"_

 _Amata threw her hands to her mouth. The Ring was **beautiful**. No, it didn't have the huge diamond on it, but my brother can build things, and he made this one special for Amata. It was silver with beautiful swirls on the outside, and a saying 'Always and Forever' on the inside. My heart was bursting with excitement and I wasn't even the one being asked to get married. But it was silent. Not a happy squeal, not a sob of happiness... nothing. **Why is it so quiet?**_

 _"Joesph... I'm sorry... It's all so sudden."_

 _My brother's face fell, but he quickly recovered and smiled. "It's okay, I know, believe me, I know it is. But, we're happy together, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."_

 _Amata closed her eyes and clutched her hand to her chest. "Joesph... I... I can't."_

 _ **What?!** Joesph stood up. "I-I don't understand. I **love** you. You are one of the most important people in my life." He grabbed her hand in a gentle way and she pulled herself away._

 _"Well... You're not important to me, and I don't love you." She stated coldly. She walked away at a fast pace and all I could think was, **What the fuck just happened?**_

 _My brother stood there with hurt all over him. His face, his posture. Everything. He was in shock. I couldn't blame him. I would have been blown away if that had happened to me._

 _I stood up off the wall and stopped the recording. **Definitely deleting that later**. I walked from around the corner and he didn't change. He didn't look at me. He didn't blink. Hell, he didn't even look like he was breathing. "Hey." I said timidly. By the time I finished my greeting, I had no clue what to say to him. **What do you say to someone who's heart just got ripped out of their chest and crushed like a grape right in front of them?**_

 _By the end of my thoughts I was in front of him, right where Amata was. But the thing that made my heart break even more was seeing my brother cry. His face was twisted with pain, hurt, and betrayal. Hot fast tears were streaming down his face. The first time he cried in years. I held his chin so he would look at me even though he was taller than me by a few inches. "Hey, Hey... Its okay." I tried to calm him and wipe his fast rolling tears away._

 _"No it's not." His voice cracked. "She left me, Val... she left me." He sobbed, not hiding any emotion. He let go of the tears, all of the pain he was trying to hold in. My heart broke even more. So I did the only thing I could do. I let go of his face and wrapped my arms around his middle, hugging him as tight as I could. Trying to comfort him. Trying to help him cope with everything that just happened. His arms went around my shoulders and he crushed me in his embrace. I could hardly breath, but I let it slide. It was the hardest he'd ever hugged me. **God, why did this happen to my brother? To my baby brother? Why not Butch or one of his Tunnel Snake asshole friends? Why did it have to happen to the kindest, most honest man in this hell hole?**_

 _We stood like that for a while. His face was where my shoulder and neck met. His sobs of sadness were so loud I was sure the whole Vault could hear him, but I didn't care. I had to be strong for my brother, but his weeping was breaking me down. Yet I kept on a brave face, making sure that I did not shead a tear. I hated seeing him so sad. It made me feel like shit, because I didn't protect him. And the thing that scared me most was that I didn't know how to help him with this. I'd never had to deal with a broken heart before._

 _He was falling apart, piece by piece. I understood completely why. She was all he ever talked about at night before we went to sleep. What they did. What they were going to do the next day. But most of all, how much he loved and adored her._

 _"She... she l-left m-me, Val. W-why did s-she doo t-that? W-why?" He barely choked out through gasps for air. His grasp tightening around me, and his sobs forcing him to shake uncontrollably._

 _I swallowed hard, trying to hide my feelings of what happened. You have to be strong for him right now. You can't cry, Val, don't cry._

 _"I don't know, I honestly don't," I said. " You are the kindest and most amazing man down here... but you know what, if she dumped you, she ain't worth it."_

 _He sniffled. "I-Is that su-suppose to make m-me f-feel any better? 'Cause it didn't do shit."_

 _I chuckled slightly hoping to lighten the mood and shook my head. "No, not really... but you got a father who will love you till the end of time, and you got me."_

 _"Now t-that did n-not make me f-feel better at all."_

 _I pulled back from him, shocked at what he said to me. That was until I saw a crooked smile that was brightening up his face a little bit. He was messing with me, so I played along. I slapped his chest lightly. "Hey! That's not nice. You should love your sister. Especially if she were to offer you something . . ."_

 _"Oh y-yeah? And what might that be?" He asked wiping away the remaining tears, still gasping for air._

 _"To get your mind off of things, I will be your assistant in repairing or building something." I smiled. "It'll be like old times."_

 _He chuckled. "You? **Build something**? Alright, who are you, and what have you done to my sister? 'Cause the one I have has no skills to do that whatsoever."_

 _I smacked his chest a little harder. "Rude! I was trying to be nice." His smile grew a little bit wider, but was looking at me like I was crazy. "Fine alright, to get your mind off of things, let's go do some P.T."_

 _His eyes went big for a moment. "Actually, having you build something with me would be quite nice."_

 _I laughed. "That's what I thought." I smiled. "C'mon let's go do nerdy stuff." I put my arm around his waist and his arm went around my shoulder on instinct. He began to talk about what else he was working on while my eye caught someone standing behind a corner. It was Amata. She was covering her mouth tears streaming down her face like a waterfall. Instantly I was confused. **If she didn't love him, why is she crying?... What if her father found out and forced her to break it off? But shes an adult now. She doesn't need to follow orders from her father.**_

 _"Valori! Did you understand a word I said?"_

 _My eyes peeled away from Amata. "Joe, really? Do you know me? You have to speak English for me to understand."_

 _He rolled his eyes. "Alright I'm sorry, and for the millionth time in our nineteen years of being brother and sister... I hate being called Joe."_

 _"Alright, you're right. Sorry Joey." I replied trying to hide a burst of laughter._

 _"Okay, that's even worse." We both started to laugh until he tickled my stomach and I squealed._

 _"Joesph, no. You know how ticklish I am."_

 _"Oh, I'm sorry. It totally slipped my mind." He said, tickling me again. "Dang it! I did it again."_

 _I laughed hard and shoved him away, and started running for his work area. Laughing the whole way like we were ten years old again._

I nodded and looked back to where we were heading with guilt withering inside of me. _Good job, Valori. You messed up. Why do you always bring this up at the wrong timing? Why the **fuck** do you do this to him? Huh? He's been through **enough**! And you have to go and break him down even more?! What the **hell** is wrong with you?!_

"Stop." My brother snapped, pulling me out of my torturing thoughts.

I swallowed the lump that began to form in my throat. "Stop what?" I asked, even though I knew exactly what he was talking about.

He shook his head with annoyance. "Stop torturing yourself. Alright? It's not your fault that Amata and I broke up, its not your fault that Dad left, and its not your fault that you don't know how to cope with everything yet. Okay? So just stop."

Tears welded their way into my eyes. "Yeah... okay." _But no promises._

There was a short moment of silence before my brother spoke again. "Are we getting any closer to Rivet City?"

I lifted my left arm and looked down at my Pip Boy. "Ya know, I'm surprised these things still work."

"Yeah, it's weird that they haven't acted up yet. But if they did break, I would just fix them."

"Yeah, I know." I said as I swiped my screen over until it showed the map. We were near a building that was called ' _The Jefferson Memorial_ '. And the boat, Rivet City, was right down the block.

I sighed in relief, _We're almost there,_ I let out a happy chuckle. _We're almost there!_ I picked up my pace with a skip in my step, a grin on my face and not a care in the world _. We're almost there, Daddy, we're coming. We're almost there._ I said almost beginning to cry. _We've been through so much. Gigantic Scorpions, raiders, mine fields, Yao Guai and Super Mutants . .. Please Daddy, please be here... I miss you so much._

"Val, wait! What? Are we almost there?"

I didn't know how to form any words. It was like the English language was too advanced for me. So, I showed him my Pip Boy.

"Holy shit we're almost there... we're almost there!" He said happily, but then his face fell. "Wait," he said, stopping dead in his tracks and grabbing my arm. I turned around to face him. "What if dad isn't there? Like he wasn't in Megaton? I mean... how do we even know he's alive?"

"No. No. Don't start that shit man. He. Isn't. Dead. And he is going to be here. I know it, and if not-"

"Then what?! What are we gonna do, huh? Travel all around the God damned ruins of the U.S.A? Val! That's suicide!"

"Good then!" I screamed, Dogmeat began to growl, but I ignored it. I was too pissed off to care about whatever the dog was growling at. "Its better than fucking dying alone!"

"You wouldn't be alone! You would have _me_! We'd have _each other_!"

"And how long are you gonna survive, huh? Because a nerd like you should already be dead by now and you _fucking know it_!" I couldn't stop it. The confessions, the cruelty, the anger, the sadness, everything that I held inside of me for the longest time, it was finally leaving me like a massive explosion. "You had a fucking _life_ in the Vault! You had a _girl_! You had a job that you _liked_! It was so fucking easy for you! But me?! No. I was not happy in there. I was going to die _alone_! And now I'm gonna die out here protecting your ass! How long until you're dead, and I'm gonna die alone anyways?! Or even worse, how long until I'm dead and you're left fucking defenseless?!"

He shook his head with rage. "I help more than what you understand! I am not that useless, damn it!"

"You are to me." I said coldly.

His eyes went wide with surprise for a short few moments, then they narrowed. "Fuck. You." He said through gritted teeth.

He maneuvered around me and began to walk toward Rivet City. I stood there facing the opposite direction, trying to come up with a better comeback. _Or maybe I should just apologize. Has rage really drove me this insane? Or was it pain? Damn it, I'm sorry Joesph._ When I turned around, I didn't have time to say one word from my thoughts.

There was an explosion that happened a few feet in front of me. I felt pain erupt from my left leg as I was flung backwards, unable to react. I tried to catch myself by putting my arms behind me, preparing myself to catch my body's weight. There was an excruciating pain in my right wrist as I caught myself, but what I did wasn't enough. I was unable to stop my body from falling, and my head hit something hard. Within seconds, my world went dark.

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I recovered quickly after hitting a big block of debris. My first and only thoughts were, _Oh My God, Val! Where's Val?_ "Val!... Valor-" I was cut off by another explosion. "Shit!" I hid behind fallen concrete from a building and peeked around it. _Super Mutant. Damn it!_ I took out the only weapon I had. A 9 mm pistol. _This isn't gonna do fucking anything!_

I began looking around frantically. "Valori!" _Please Lord! Please help me!_ An explosion came again, causing debris to fly on the other side of the boulder. I have never been so afraid in my entire life. I screamed a horrified scream, fear paralyzing me, and I didn't know what to do. _No, no! I don't want to die please!_ "Help me!" I sobbed. "Please somebody help me!"

 _Joesph, Joesph, it's okay. Calm down and think._ Valori's voice rang in my head. _You are the brain's of this group, remember? So calm down. How can you defeat this monster?_

I thought for a moment, still paralyzed with fear. _I don't know, Val._ An explosion came again. I screamed and protected the back of my neck. _Oh my God Val, I don't want to die!_

 _Just breath Joesph, like in Vault 101, when you saw Amata's father when you two were secretly dating. Breath in and out, slowly._ I took in a long breath and exhaled slowly. It slowed my breathing, and I was able to think. _Okay, he has a grenade or a missile launcher. There's no way I can get close enough without getting hurt. What can I do?... Maybe I don't have to do anything. A distraction, I need a distraction._ I looked around the area, finding nothing to help me. _Shit, shit, shit! What can I do? What can I use?_ My eyes roamed over everything trying to find something I could use. My eyes roamed until I was looking at Dogmeat, who was growling at the creature on the other side of the debris. _That's it!_

"Dogmeat... go get that _fucking_ bastard." I said with a hint of fear lingering in my voice.

Dogmeat took no time at all. He bolted away from me and right at the Super Mutant. Once I heard Dogmeat fighting the Super Mutant, I stood up and began to shoot at the ugly ass monster. I went through a whole magazine and only one round hit the mutant. _Shit. I need to get closer._ I thought, putting another magazine into the gun.

I was only a few yards away from it now, and I began to shoot again. My first shot got it right in the neck. _Ha-ha! Suck on that asshole!_ But it was a big mistake for me not to continue to shoot the thing. The mutant turned away from Dogmeat and faced me. _Oh fuck._ The mutant began to run towards me and I continued to shoot uncontrollably.

 ** _Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang!_**

The mutant was so close to me that I was paralyzed with fear once more. _Shit!_ I was about to give up, to surrender to this dark cruel world. I've been through so much... _lost_ so much. I didn't know if Father was even still alive. _This is pointless._ I thought. But then I my mind returned to my sister. Her negativity, her positivity, how she tried to be strong for me. Everything we'd been through together. How we had _survived_. _No. I can't leave her. I need to find my sister._ I thought with determination.

The mutant was right on top of me now, and I had a clear shot at his head. So, I took it, killing the mutant instantly. The mutant fell, his face was so close to my feet, and I couldn't believe what happened. "Holy Shit. Holy Shit! Woo! Val did you see what I just-" I cut myself short. _Val._ I whipped around quickly and felt the most excruciating pain in my entire life. It started in my right shoulder and then spread throughout my upper body. "Aaaahhhhhhh!" I looked at my shoulder, there was hole in my armor and blood was oozing out of it.

"Oh my God, what the-" I was cut off by the sound of a rifle. "Ah!" Fear captured my soul again. With shaking hands, I turned to look where the sound came from. One hand held the hole in my body and the other clutching my weapon. It was another Super Mutant. The mutant shot his rifle again, it missed any part of me by a long shot.

 _What do I do?... Valori. Get to Valori. She has all the weapons._

I turned around once again and began to search for Valori. _**Bang.**_ The rifle shot again, hitting the ground next to my foot. So I began to run a little faster. _It's going to be hard as hell to find her. She has jet black hair, and her armor is black as well. I'll never find her in time._

 _ **Bang.**_ The rifle shot again, and this time I felt a sting on the side of my left shoulder. "Fuck!" _No, no! Not like this, please not like this!_

Just as I thought that, Dogmeat ran past me and began circling a spot on the ground up ahead. What is he doing? The dog sniffed it, then whimpered. What? I thought for a moment. Wait, that's Valori!

Bang. The rifle was heard again. When I got to Dogmeat and Valori, I knelt down quickly, looking for anything to help me. But I was actually looking for something specific. I felt the side of her backpack and found exactly what I needed. A Frag Grenade. _Yes! Yes, this is perfect!_ "Good boy, Dogmeat, good boy!" I praised before I stood up and heard the gunfire again. I felt a sting on the left side of my torso. "Gaahh!"

I held my side for a moment. _Damn it!_ I took my hand away from my torso and looked at my hand, dark red liquid was all over my open finger glove. With shaky hands I pulled the pin and prayed to God that I threw it hard enough. The mutant lifted the rifle again and I glared at it with all the hatred in the world. "Burn in Hell, you piece of _shit_ ," I murmured as one single tear fell from my eye, from the pain of the bullets, from the fear of being mere inches from death. The grenade went off right next the mutant, and its body was painted all over the place in an instant. The debris, the building, the sidewalk, hell, even some of him landed in the river. There would be no way anyone could find all of him.

It was over. It was finally over. I was so overwhelmed by the excitement that I fell on all fours, breathing rapidly. _Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit._ "Val." I whispered, hoping it would snap me out of my shock. I swallowed hard to calm my nerves. _It's okay, Joesph. Its over._

I turned towards Valori awkwardly and my breath quickened again. I scrambled over to her with one hand on either side of her head. "Valori?" I said timidly as my right hand shook her right shoulder. She didn't get up. "Valori." I said louder, shaking her a little harder. Still, she did not wake.

My hands went into her hair, about to put her head onto my lap. That was until I felt something warm and wet oozing onto my hand. My breath caught in my throat, my heart began to beat a little faster. I untangled my hand from Valori's hair and looked at my hand. Blood was covering every inch of of it. I was horrified. "No... No." I choked out as I put her head back down gently. I turned my body around. "Valori, get up... get up!" I sobbed.

Tears were pouring out of my eyes. I was so _scared_ , so _afraid_ of being alone. Losing my only family right in front of me. I would be so _lost_ , so _devastated_ to know that I would never see my family again. "No, no. Valori, you can't leave me! Don't leave me! Please... please... You're suppose to protect me! You're suppose to be there when I don't know what to do! You can't die on me! I've lost Amata, and Father ran away! I can't lose you too!... I can't lose you..." I sobbed into her chest. _Get her help, damn it! But Megaton is so far away! She'll never survive. She'll bleed out way before we even cross the river. Damn it!_ I sobbed harder into her chest, until a thought hit me. _Wait... water... river... boat... Rivet City. It's just around the corner. But what if they won't help her? What if the cast us out and I have to watch my sister die? No. I have to try._

I lifted my head off of Valori and put my right arm behind her neck while my left arm went under her legs. "You aren't gonna die. I won't let you." I cried as I lifted Valori up with all of my strength. "You can't die. We're almost there, and there's beds and food, and we'll be able to rest and not be in this godforsaken war zone." I breathed heavily as I began to walk as fast as I could - which was about as fast as a grandma with a walker. I whistled tiredly at Dogmeat to follow us, which he quickly obliged to. I began to speak again. "You can't leave me... not yet. I have... to tell you... how I saved your ass." I chuckled breathlessly. "Just... stay with me... okay?" I begged.

It took me over half an hour to reach the bottom of the ramp to enter Rivet City. "A ramp... we can handle this... right Val?" I asked breathlessly. Once I got up the ramp I turned around the corner and stood at the bottom of another ramp. I muttered a curse as I stood there for a few seconds gathering up my strength before I began to climb.

As I reached the top, I felt light headed, but I kept going until I reached an intercom. I set Valori down gently before I pushed the green button and spoke. "Please, help me... me and my sister... are wounded... badly. We need medical attention... _right now_." I let go of the green button.

"What's your business here?"

"We need... medical attention... please let us in."

"Why are you here? Why are you close to the D.C. area so late at night?"

"Me and my sister... we're looking for our father... His name is James... James Winchester... or uh... this," _Shit, what the hell is her name?... Oh!_ "... Doctor Lee."

"Oh, you two are James' kids. We're sending the bridge out. Just wait a moment."

I didn't bother to reply. I just picked Valori up again and waited at the edge of the walkway for the bridge. "We made it... sis. You're gonna be... okay."

The bridge was set so that I could start walking. I took slow, quivering steps as I began to walk. "Its okay... I got us here... you're gonna be-" I was three fourths across and I started to feel nauseous and lightheaded. "Whoa." I said as I swayed side to side. I couldn't keep my balance and fell over. I saw feet heading towards us. As they reached us, I spoke as loud as I could. "Help her... help her first... her... head... bleeding." My eyes slowly began to close. "Help-" Was the last thing I said before I only saw darkness.

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 **What did you all think?**  
 **Please tell me what you liked and disliked. Be as critical as you wish! If you tell me what you liked then I'll know what to keep doing, if you tell me what you hated, then I can keep on improving! ^·^**

 **Also, for those who are reading my _The Fable with a Wolf Tattoo_ I am dreadfully sorry for not uploading any new chapters. I sort of hit a writer's block that I'm trying to fix. Please be patient with me and I will try to upload the next chapter as soon as I possibly can!**

 **This will probably be a story that I will update every week or every two weeks, depending on my editor and my writer's block.**

 **Thank you all so much for reading my fanfics, you guys are fantastic!**

 **I'll see you all in the next chapter! ^·^**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer** **: I do not own or possess any rights to the** _ **Fallout 3**_ **video game. At this time all rights to the** _ **Fallout series**_ **belong to Bethesda Softworks LLC, a ZeniMax Media Company. This story is my own creative work and is not in any way a part of the official** _ **Fallout series**_ **storyline. I have included characters from the** _ **Fallout 3**_ **storyline in this work; however, the characters Valori and Joesph Winchester and Elize Cromwell are my own.**

 **This story is rated "M" for Mature content includes intense violence, blood, gore, and strong language.** **YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.**

 **ENJOY**! ^·^

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 **Chapter Two: It's Complicated**

Valori left our room before I could ask her to wait for me. She left me in our room with the last person I wanted to speak to. Amata. She stared at me with that sweet, innocent look that I was once in love with. But now it just sickened me.

I glared at her, before I turned towards my dresser that was across the room from Valori's. I opened the top drawer and took out my 'Vault 101' jumpsuit. I slipped it on easily, then turned around to grab my backpack from my footlocker. When I turned, I bumped into Amata.

She let out a squeak of surprise as she stepped back slightly. "I'm sorry," she murmured.

I nodded stiffly, expecting she would move out of my way. Yet, she did no such thing, she just stood where she was, looking at me with her hazel doe eyes.

I inhaled and exhaled slowly, trying to keep my anger at bay. "Please. Move." I said through gritted teeth.

She shook her head. "No, I need to tell you something..."

"Tell me what? Hm? More about how much you hate me? Or how you never loved me?" I scoffed. "Sorry, Amata, I've gotten enough of your bullshit to last me a lifetime." I said, pushing her out of my way.

I went over to my footlocker, throwing it open and rummaging through it with anger. After searching forever for my backpack, my neat footlocker looked as if - as the Old Nation would say - a tornado ran through it. But I didn't really care. I was being forced to leave my home anyway.

I found my backpack at the very bottom of the small storage space. I yanked it out quickly, sending a few photographs that I owned to fly across the room. I brutally started to shove things into my pack: _'The Big Book of Science'_ , which my Father gave me on my tenth birthday, photographs of my family, and a few other books that were from the Old Nation.

When I stood up and turned around, I collided with Amata again. I groaned louder than I intended, and glared at her.

"Amata, either get out of my way or get out of my room," I said coldly.

She just shook her head, looking at me sadly. "No Joesph, I have to talk to you. It's important."

I threw my backpack on the floor, still glaring at her. "And what is so important? Hm? You haven't even been able to look at me for the past month and a half! You made it very clear that you hated me and that you never loved me! After everything we've been through, after everything we've done, how could you do that to me?" I hollered.

"He was going to kill you!" She screamed back.

I stood there completely confused. _Who was going to kill me?_ I let out a breathless, "What?"

A tear fell from her eye, and I fought the urge to wipe it away, like I had done so many times before. "He said he would kill you." She said again more quietly.

"Who?... Who said they'd kill me?"

"Who do you think?... It was my father. I don't know how but he found out that you and I were dating. And he said that if I didn't find a way to break your heart, he would find a way to make your death look like an accident." More tears fell from her eyes, and I hesitated before I took her face in my hands, wiping away her tears.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked, wiping more tears away.

"I was always being watched, day and night. And I... I was worried that if he caught me talking to you, he would have killed you."

A few more tears slipped down her cheeks. I brushed them away gently.

I paused for a moment, wiping a few more tears. "I'm sorry for being an asshole to you. It's just... It's the only thing that covers up the pain I feel in my heart, because, Amata... I still love you... I never _stopped_ loving you."

"Joesph," she whispered. I couldn't speak, for fear that I would have started to cry in front of her. I hummed a 'what'. She searched my eyes before she spoke. "Kiss me." She said just barely above a whisper.

We had been suppressing our feelings for each other for the past month. I forgot how her lips felt against mine. I needed to know that feeling again.

I tilted my mouth over hers and kissed her. It started out soft, our lips barely brushed against each other. That slight touch of our lips had ignited a flame in me. I wove my fingers into her hair with one hand, with the other I put at the small of her back and pulled her closer to me.

Our lips met, and the only thing that was on my mind was how her soft lips felt against mine. Her hands gently running up my body, wrapping themselves around my neck. The world gradually began to dissolve around us, and I couldn't be a happier man. Right now, I wasn't Joesph the nerd, the sciencewiz, the tech guy. Right now, I was Joesph Rylan Winchester, I was her Joesph, and there's no one else I'd rather be.

Amata pulled back slightly, her breathing was slightly labored. "Joesph, wait. I still have to tell you something."

"Okay." I said, just as breathless as her. A long moment of silenced paused before I couldn't take it anymore. "Amata, what is it?"

A coy smile appeared on her face before she spoke. "Joesph." She paused once again, she looked up at me, searching for the words she wanted to say. "Joesph, I'm..."

"You are... what?" I asked. My heartbeat began to increase as fear crept into me, afraid of what Amata was trying to tell me.

"Joesph, I'm pregnant."

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My eyes flew open and her name slipped from my lips."Amata."

I was staring up at a grey ceiling with pipes running across it. _Where am I? Where's Val? What happened? Why can't I remember what happened?_

I sat motionless, thinking. _I remember waking up and watching my sister kill raiders. Then we walked across the bridge... and then there were Super Mutants._ My eyes grew in size as it all came back to me. The cruel things Valori said to me. The explosion that threw her backwards, knocking her out cold. Then me killing the Super Mutants. Alone.

"Oh my God. Val." I sat up quickly, and an excruciating pain ripped throughout my entire body. My muscles tensed as my throat became raw with my scream. I swallowed, hoping it would help my burning throat.

My breathing was ragged and my body kept tensing and relaxing uncontrollably. I moaned and whimpered like a child.

 _Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod._ I repeated in my head, causing my breathing to quicken. _No, Joesph. Don't do that. Just breathe slowly. In and out. In and out._

I sucked in the oxygen around me slowly and released it just the same. It calmed my beating heart and breathing, which then stopped my tensing muscles.

I looked down at my body, finding that I had a thin white cloth wrapped around my torso and left arm, stitches holding my skin together. On my chest, there were suction cups providing the heart monitor with my heartbeat.

I grabbed a hold of the wires that were connecting me to the heart monitor, and yanked them off, making the heart monitor let out a long, annoying beep.

I swung my legs so my bare feet were touching the cool metal flooring. I unhooked myself from the IV that was in my right arm. My eyes frantically searched the congested room I was in, looking for Valori, but not finding her.

I wasn't thinking straight. I was in a panic mode. I was in a clinic, in an unfamiliar city that was inside the D.C. area, and my sister wasn't with me. _Valori. Where's Valori? This is the clinic. If she's not here, then she must be dead._ My breathing became irregular as fear consumed my body. _Valori. Valori, no. Please, no. You have to be okay. I can't lose you._

Without thinking, I ran towards the door, but didn't get very far. When I was in the doorway, I collided with someone.

Two things happened at once.

One of the person's body parts came in contact with the stitches on my chest. My whole body tensed up as pain erupted from my wound. "Sonofa-" I cut myself off with a groan as I leaned against the door frame, trying to push the pain away.

The person acted like they had ran into a brick wall. He, or she, ricocheted off of me and flew back to the wall of the hallway. The person whimpered while they sat up, holding their head.

I looked down at the person that I ran into, and found that it was a girl. Her hand was at the back of her head, rubbing her blond curls, trying to ease the pain.

" _Cazzo_." She mumbled under her breath as she slowly stood. She wobbled for a moment before she found her balance.

"Ma'am, I am so sorry. Are you alright?" I asked through gritted teeth.

She looked up and down my body before her gaze returned to my eyes."Yes, I'm alright, but honestly I should be asking you... You've been out for just about..." She looked down at her wrist where a circular pendant was connected by a band. "32 hours, maybe. You lost a lot of blood and I'm pretty sure the pain from your bullet wounds didn't help much."

"I am... I am very, um, petrified. I don't know where I am. I don't know what the hell happened to my armor." I closed my eyes and swallowed hard, trying not to cry in front of this stranger. "And I don't see my sister. Is she okay? I mean, this is the clinic, and if she's not here, then that must mean-"

"Whoa there buddy." She cut my ramble short. "Calm down, it's alright. You are in Rivet City, you were looking for your dad, James, right?" I nodded.

"Your armor, however, did not survive, whatever you went through just absolutely destroyed it. Your armored shirt had a hole in the shoulder, chest area - I honestly don't know what that part of your body is called. There were also slashes on the torso and left shoulder. Your boots were burned almost entirely, I'm surprised it didn't burn you."

"As for your sister she is... okay? I mean, she's not dead but she's unconscious."

I let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank God... Thank God." That was when I lost it. Tears trickled down my face. I was too overjoyed - knowing my sister was still alive - to care if this stranger in front of me thought I was strange. I saved my big sis. I saved Valori. She was going to be okay.

The girl that stood in front of me did not look at me like I was a freak. Instead, she looked sympathetic. "Hey, hey... It's okay. There's no need to cry, she's alive."

I nodded. "I know, I'm just so relieved to know she's alright." I said wiping my tears. "I thought I lost her."

She shook her head and smiled a smile that warmed my heart. It made me forget about the pain from the stitches. It made me forget about my Father running away. It made me forget I was in The Wasteland.

"She can't leave you, she would miss you too much." She said jokingly.

I chuckled slightly. "That she would... Can I see her? Please, it's not that I don't trust you, it's just-"

"You're looking out for your sibling." She smiled. "I completely understand, but... I can't, the Doc. gave strict orders that we were not to bother her. She wasn't in the best condition when you brought her in."

"Why? What's wrong with her? What are her injuries?" I asked frantically.

"From what I heard from the Doc., she had suffered a head injury and has a few broken bones. But she's still alive, I could hear the heart monitor beep each time I walked by her room."

"Can I see her? Please."

"Sir I can-"

" _Please..._ Ma'am she is the only family I have left." Her face fell to a deep frown and look as if she was about to cry herself. "I just want to pop my head into her room, and then I'll leave her be." She shook her her head about to reply back, but I beat her to it. "Please, I have nothing left in the world worth living for."

She stood there a moment, just staring at me. To see what I told her was true or was a lie. It was a long silent pause before she nodded. "Okay, follow me." She said with a wave of her hand. We began to walk down the hallway and she looked over her shoulder. "Do not mention this to anyone, if you do, gossip travels fast around here, and the Doc. will surely have my head."

I shook my head and spoke, "Don't worry, my lips are sealed." She nodded, looking forward again.

We passed another hallway and a few doors before she stopped in front of a great grey metal door. She looked up and down the hallway before she took the wheel in her hands and turned it until it unlocked the door. She opened the door slightly, I eagerly looked through the crack and saw Valori.

Her heart monitor was beeping regularly. Like the girl said, she had a white case on her right arm and a bandage wrapped around her head. Tears welded their way back into my eyes and I fought the urge to run into the room. I wanted to sit by the edge of her bed to wait for her to wake up, tell her how sorry I am, that it was all my fault.

The girl closed the door, locking it once again. She looked up at me and smiled her heart warming smile. "See, she's alright. I'm sure you'll be able to see her later in the day."

I smiled and nodded. "Yeah, thank you for showing me where she is. Now I don't want to burden you with my presents, so feel free to do what you need to do."

She looked confused and shook her head. "What are you going to do?"

"Wait here for the Doc. I don't know anyone here, so I'll just wait here until I'm able to see my sister."

"You liar, you know me, and I will not have you stand here for hours all by yourself. I can show you the town and get you some clothes." She looked up and down my body. "We won't want people to believe you lack modesty."

I chuckled slightly. "Oh no, we wouldn't want that. But are you sure you don't mind dragging me around?"

"Not at all." She smiled brightly. "C'mon follow me." She said waving her hand as she turned and walked down the hallway. I followed her through the claustrophobic hallway of the boat.

We walked to the end of the hallway to a big, metal door. She tried to turn the wheel to unlock the door, but it wouldn't budge. She slowly faced me with a coy smile. "Can you help me with this? This door is always the tricky one."

I shrugged, "I'm not sure how helpful I'll be... I'm not the strongest person in the world." I said as I walked up behind her, grabbing the wheel.

"Don't be silly, if you can take three bullets to you upper body, you're strong enough to help me. I'm too weak to turn this door alone." She giggled. "Alright, ready... and... turn!" She said and we tugged on the wheel, it got stuck for a moment before we were able to turn it with ease. She and I pushed against the door and it opened with a squeal. The girl placed her hands on her hips and sighed. "See not that difficult, right?" I nodded. She walked through the door, and I followed right behind her. We closed the door, not bothering to lock it because we were just going to be going back the same way.

I stood on the balcony that we were on for a moment, staring at a huge, old worn out greyish looking tent. It was covering the top of what appeared to be a gun shop. I walked over to the railing that was a few feet in front of me.

The space that we were in, the grey walls made this place seem dull. Even duller than the Vault. Yet, from the opposite side of where I was there were lights that seemed to make the place glow. _A bar maybe?_ I thought unsure. From where I stood, I was able to hear a familiar tune coming from the other side of the area I was in. _That tune... I know that tune... Where have I heard that tune?_ The girl gasped suddenly, making me jump. _What the hell?_ "Are you ok-"

"Oh my gosh! Do you wanna see the best view of Rivet City?" She asked excitedly. I cocked an eyebrow, completely taken off guard by her question. She didn't wait for me to answer, instead, she gripped my hand tightly and began to drag me along with her. We ran past a pool table, and down a flight of stairs. "C'mon! Hurry up!" She laughed as we ran past some dining tables.

"I can only go as fast as you're pulling me." I called back, receiving a laugh from her. I smirked slightly, _What a cute laugh._ I thought until I shook my head violently. _What the hell are you saying, Joesph?_

We came across another flight of stairs and she hauled me up them. Once we reached the top she let go of my hand, instantly going to the railing while I stood where she let go of me. I put my hands on my knees, letting my head dangle low. My breath came in short gasps, and I could feel my heart pumping the blood rapidly through my body, making my stitches burn.

The girl turned to me with the brightest smile on her face until she saw the position I was in. Her face instantly fell as she ran over to me. She bent over, putting her hands on my shoulders. "Mister, are you alright?" She asked as her eyes searched my face.

I smiled tiredly as I nodded. "Yeah... I'm not... the most... physical person... in the world." I gasped for air. "And my... stitches... they're burning... like a bitch... right now." I smiled weakly.

I had no idea how to react, because I didn't know that a stranger would do this to some strange man she just met. She slowly moved her hand from my shoulder, wrapping her arms around my neck. I was frozen, taken off guard. _Why is she hugging me? She only just met me._ "I'm so sorry. I get... overly excited about the smallest things... and I act before I think, and I didn't mean to cause you harm... I just wanted to show you the best part inside this boat... I'm so sorry that I hurt you."

 _Holy shit... she just... apologize? Wh-why did she apologize?... It's not her fault._ I shook my head slightly, trying to knock me out of my shock. I took my hands off my knees, and slowly stood to my full height, allowing my hands to rest upon her hips, making sure that it was okay that I could hug her as well. She didn't try to move away, so I allowed my arms to wrap around her middle, and I was shocked at how skinny she was. My hands were able to touch my exposed skin, even though they were around her body.

In my height I reach around 5'8 and her head only reached to my chest. _She's so small... Not that there's anything wrong with small girls, it's just... I've never met one that wasn't my height or taller._

I cleared my throat slightly, snapping myself out of my thoughts. "There's no reason... to be sorry... You didn't know... that I'm not... physically fit... don't blame yourself."

She pulled away slightly, my arms still around her, as she looked at me. "I still feel bad. I should have warned you that I was running or asked you if you could run. I mean, you could of had asthma, and I could have killed you."

 _You are way overthinking this._ I swallowed hard, trying to come up with something to say to make her laugh and forget about this. "No it's ok... If I had asthma, I would've been dead before I got to Rivet City."

A smile instantly grew on her face as a calm laugh escaped her lips. She shook her head slightly before her green eyes met mine. "Oh, I highly doubt that." She paused a moment with a heartwarming smile. "Come, let's sit. It honestly is a beautiful view." She stated timidly.

I nodded and smiled. "Alright." I whispered.

She put my arm around her shoulders and began to lead me to the place where she wanted to sit. When we reached the railing, she helped us to the ground and we both got comfortable, letting our feet dangle over the edge.

I was amazed at what Rivet City looked like, it was more gorgeous than I could have ever imagined. The whole place was just _alive_. People were singing loudly, and quite badly, at the bar while a few others were dancing to the tune. A tune that was on the tip of my tongue, but I still couldn't remember the name of it. People were eating and laughing at the dining area, and it reminded me of what it was like to eat with my family in the Vault. At that thought, a smile appeared in my face.

I looked over to my left, and saw people admiring the clothing, others were fascinated with the guns that were on the shelf. _These people they look so_ _ **happy**_ _so_ _ **at ease**_ _. How is that? I haven't seen a city like this, ever. This is amazing... I think I'm gonna like it here._ I thought to myself as a smile formed on my face.

I chuckled quietly. "Wow... you weren't kidding when you said that this is the best view of the town."

She looked at me for a moment then down to the world below. "I'm glad you're enjoying the view." She smiled.

"Yeah. I've never seen people in the Wasteland so _happy_." I answered calmly.

"Well, here we don't have to worry about the world outside these walls." Her smile widened.

I looked down at her, finally getting a better detail of what she looks like. Her skin was sun-kissed slightly, making her shoulder length blond hair glow. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of green. Her thin eyebrows stood out, in a good way, they were a dark brown color. She had light freckles that were scattered across her cheeks and bridge of her nose. And so far there was always a smile on her face. _She's kinda cute._ I smiled. _Wait... what are you saying, Joesph? You have a son or daughter in the Vault. You have a lover in the Vault. Hell, Joesph, You don't even know her name... wait I don't know her name._ I thought to myself as my smile turned to a side grin. "Ma'am, I don't quite recon your name."

She giggled. "That's because you haven't asked for it." She turned to me with a smile.

I smirked back. "So, what is your name?"

"My name's Elize, Elize Cromwell."

"Well, Miss Cromwell... you have a very beautiful smile." I kept my smile on, until I was able to register what I just said. I just sat there, surprised at the words that slipped out of my mouth. _Did I really just say that?_

Elize's face flushed a little, she bit her bottom lip and giggled as she looked down at her fancy cream tee-shirt and blue skirt. "Please, sir just call me Elize." She slowly looked back up to me, with a shy smile returning to her face. "How about you? . . .What's your name."

"I'm Winchester... ah, I mean, I'm Joesph, Joesph Winchester." _Oh my God, what has gotten into me? It's like I'm that socially awkward sixteen year old all over again._

She giggled. "Well, it's nice to meet you, _Winchester_." She smiled brightly as she stuck her arm out straight, offering me her hand.

I grasped it gently and shook it as I spoke, "Please, call me Joesph."

She cocked her eyebrows. "Not Joey or Joe?"

I shook his head. "No... I don't really like those nicknames."

"Ah, I gotcha."

I let go of her hand and she let go of mine, and something hit me, completely out of the blue. _Where the hell is my dog?_ "Elize, do you know where my dog is?"

She cocked her eyebrow and pushed her mouth to one side of her face. "Hmm... Is he cute? Black and grey coat? Totally loveable and likes to lick people's faces?" She asked enthusiastically.

I chuckled slightly at her description. "That'd be him."

She nodded with a smile. "Yes I know where he is... well I know _who_ he's with, where that person is right now, I'm not sure."

"And who would that be?"

"A cute adorable child! Her name is C.J. and she fell in love with that dog instantly!... and I kinda allowed her to take him... I mean, I offered her to watch him while we waited for the owners to feel better. I'm sorry I didn't ask."

 _There she goes apologizing again._ I sighed shaking my head. "Really? It's fine, children are great with animals, and I'm pretty sure you picked the right one to watch over my dog." I smiled at her.

Her cheeks flushed slightly as a shy smile appeared on her face. She looked back down to the town, allowing her hair to hide her face from me. _Did I say something wrong?_ I shook my head, returning my gaze to the town below us. _No, it was a nice thing to say, right? It was a compliment. Well, sort of._

I listened to the people who were at the bar singing loudly, and God did it sound like someone was strangling a cat as it was trying to cough up a hairball. I sighed slightly as I began to sway to the horrible tune. It was the same tune that I heard from the other side of the city.

I closed my eyes as I listened to the words trying desperately understand the slurs of the drunks. _Flame?... Heart?... Desire?... World?... Fire?... Oh my gosh... This is embarrassing. This is my favorite song and I'm just now realizing what it is... it's_ _I Don't Want to Set the World On Fire._ I smiled brightly and opened my eyes. I waited until they were at a part where I could join, and I felt happy to be singing again.

 _" I don't want to set the world on fire_

 _I just want to start a flame in your heart_

 _In my heart I have but one desire_

 _And that one is you, no other will do_

 _I've lost all ambition for worldly acclaim_

 _I just want to be the one you love_

 _And with your admission that you feel the same_

 _I'll have reached the goal I'm dreaming of, believe me_

 _I don't want to set the world on fire_

 _I just want to start a flame in your heart..."_

The drunks just kept going around in a loop, repeating the same lines. So, I slowly eased my vocal cords to hum instead of singing.

"You're voice is very beautiful." Elize whispered.

My whole body went tense. I completely forgot she was even there. _Oh my God... No, no, no... no one has ever heard me sing. Not my father, nor my sister... not even Amata._ I cleared my throat nervously as my breath began to quicken. "I am _so sorry_ that you, uh, you heard that... I know it was probably way out of tune... a-and I didn't, ya know... uh, warm up my vocal cords... s-so..." _I... just... wow, Joesph, good goin'. I just sounded completely... girly, and wimpy... Shit. Good job, dumbass._

I closed my eyes as I tried to hide behind my hand, but it didn't really cover much of my face. My fingers were over my eyes and my palm over my nose. I let out an accidental groan before I felt smooth, genital fingers over mine. They pulled my hand away, but I still had my eyes closed, too afraid of what she was going to say.

She cleared her throat slightly, "Joesph, no... you're beautiful... I mean, your singing is... your singing is beautiful."

I opened my eyes instantly and saw that her face was a bright red. She turned her head away from me as she let go of my hand. Her hand combed through her hair, hiding herself from me by her hair. _What was she talking about? ... Me or my singing? Why do you care about knowing? It won't matter either way, you've got Amata back at the Vault. You'll see her again, and things will go back to normal. Right?... I don't know, just say something so she knows I don't hate her._ I smiled slightly, "Thank you." She cleared her throat as she got to her feet. I looked up at her a little confused on what She was doing. "Wait, where are you going."

She smiled slightly. "To go shopping. We need to get you and your sister some clothes." She said as she looked at my body once more. "I'm not sure if you forgot, but you're not really wearing a lot."

A smirk appeared on my face. "Yeah, that is true."

She offered me her hand and I took it graciously. She helped pull me to my feet and looked up at my face and smiled. I cocked a brow. "What?"

She shook her head slightly. "Nothing... it's just... you seem like a really great guy." With that, she quickly turned on her heels and began to descend down the staircase. I stood there for a moment. _Did she... did she just... hit on me?... or was that a compliment?_ "Hey daydreamer," Elize called from below me. I looked over the railing and saw her with her hands on her hips and a playful smile. "C'mon, the shop's this way." She giggled.

I smiled and shook my head slightly as I climbed down the flight of stairs carefully. I caught up to Elize and she began to walk in the direction to the clothing shop. We walked past where the drunks were still singing _I Don't Want to Set the World On Fire_ and a drug store, stopping right at the shop that was called 'Potomac Attire'. It had shelves and mannequins full of clothing.

Elize let out a happy squeal and jumped up and down slightly as she clasped her hands together.

I just smiled, shaking his head with amusement. "A little excited, are we?"

She nodded enthusiastically with smile that went from ear to ear. "Yes, most definitely! I haven't been able to do this with a friend in so long!"

 _Do what exactly? Shopping or hanging out with a friend?... hold on a moment... did she just call me her friend?_ I was about to ask her that question, but an African-American man emerged from behind a rack of clothing that was at the back of the shop. "Oh, Elize darling, what a pleasure to see you again."

Elize's smile shrunk a little when she saw him, but she still had a happy attitude. "Hello, Bannon."

"So, what shall it be today? A dress? Oh! A blouse and skirt? A suit? Or shall it be more armor?"

"No, Bannon, this time I'm here for a friend." She gestured to me.

"Ah, hello!" He said like he hadn't even noticed that I was there. "My, my. What happened to you, dear boy?"

I scratched the back of my head as the memories flooded my brain. "It's a long story."

Bannon shrugged. "No matter, no matter, what shall it be today?"

I stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to say. To be honest, I didn't even know what half of the things were that he just named off to Elize. The only clothing I knew was a tee-shirt, jumpsuit and armor. Elize gripped onto my good shoulder as she spoke to Bannon. "He told me that he wasn't sure what he wanted... Don't worry, I can take it from here." She smiled.

"Alright, darling. If you need anything, I'll be in the back." He stated happily as he walked back behind the rack of clothes.

I looked down at Elize. "Thank you, I have no idea what a... blouse or a suit even is."

Elize giggled quietly. "No problem." She smiled as she let go of my arm and walked farther into the tiny shop. She rubbed her finger up and down the bridge of her nose as she looked at the folded clothing.

I smiled. _That's cute... the way you rub the bridge of your nose._ I mentally slapped myself. _Damnit, Joesph stop it!_

"Ah, ha!" Elize said suddenly snapping me out of my thoughts. She reached up trying to grab some clothing on the top shelf but was a little too short. I walked over to where she was grabbing a blue and a red shirt she was trying to desperately reach. I handed them to her and she blushed slightly. She cleared her throat as she held both of the shirts out to me. "Here, hold one of them up in front of you."

I took the blue one out of her hand and held it up against my body. I looked down at the plain tee-shirt then up to Elize again. Her mouth was pushed to one side of her face like she was really concentrating on the shirt. She held her hand out that held the red shirt. "Do the same for this one." I took the shirt from her and held it up like I did the other one. "Hmph... I don't know. I like them both. The blue one complements your hair, and eyes." Eyes got wide for a second before cleared her throat, and continued. "But the red one complements your body." She stood there for a moment before she registered what she said. "Oh God, I meant skin tone. It looks good with your skin." Her face flushed brightly.

I chuckled quietly to myself. _My body, huh?... Was she checking me out?... Damnit you're doing it again._ I looked down at the shirts and instantly knew what one I wanted. The blue one had a huge stain in the front of it, which could have been blood or something beyond those lines, and just thinking about wearing a shirt with blood on it made me queasy. "I like the red one." I smiled as I handed her the blue one.

Her cheeks were now a bright crimson as she took the blue shirt from my hands. She folded gently as she walked to where she got the blue shirt and put it away, on a lower shelf. She went a little deeper into the shop grabbing dress shoes and tan-ish looking pants. Elize looked down as she held out her arm so she was far away from me, offering the clothing to me.

I stepped closer to her, to where if I stretched out my arm, I could touch her. I took the pants and shoes as she stepped back still looking down. Elize cleared her throat as she backed away, turning away from me quickly. _Did I do something wrong? I really hope not._

"So, what does your sister look like? Does she have your hair color too?" I let out a small 'Yeah' and she began to look through the clothing, rubbing the bridge of her nose again. "How does she feel about pink?"

I scoffed. "If I gave her a pink dress, she'd probably skin me alive."

Elize giggled. "Well, we don't want that to happen, do we?"

"No we don't."

She stood there for a moment before she reached up and grabbed a purple, fancy dress. "Would she like this one."

I smiled as memories of our Vault room came rushing at me. Her whole side of the bedroom was purple. "Yeah, I believe so."

She smiled brightly as she grabbed shoes from the counter.

I was pleased to know that someone was willing to help me, a complete nobody. Elize's heart is the purest in this Wasteland. I smiled, holding the clothing close to me. My face fell as a thought hit me. _I don't have the money to pay for this. I don't even know what happened to our caps._ "I can't get these." I blurted out.

Elize face fell to a deep frown. "Why not?"

"I don't have any caps... or I don't know where they are."

She smiled and shook her head. "No, no. This one's on me." She said as she handed me Valori's outfit. She unhooked her pouch from her belt and began to count out the caps.

"No, Elize, you don't have to do that." I said sympathetically.

Elize stopped counting the caps and looked at me. "I know I don't have to, I want to." She ended with a smile, returning to counting the caps. She laid them on the counter as she called out to Bannon. "I left you the caps on the counter, see you later."

"Alright, darling, come back soon!" He hollered back.

Elize waved her hand for me to follow her and I quickly obliged. We walked past a gun shop, turned the corner and up a flight of stairs, and went up to the big, metal door that we entered through. It opened with ease and we climbed through the door. We just finished closing and locking the door when a seriously pisses off voice emerged behind us.

"Miss Cromwell!" It snapped.

Elize jumped, clinching where her heart was as she spun around. "Doctor Preston, you scared the life out of me. What's your reasoning for that?"

He looked furious, like he was going to rip her head off with his bare hands. "What's my reasoning? Miss Cromwell, did I or did I not tell everyone that my patients were _not_ to be disturbed?"

Elize looked as if she was trying to shrink into herself; her shoulders slumped forward, arms wrapping around herself. "You did." She mumbled.

"Then why in the name of the Enclaves did you go into my patient's room?"

"Sir, I was-"

"Why are you _with_ one of my patients, why is he not in my clinic healing?"

"Because, he-"

"And I specifically told _you_ that if either of them woke up, you were to get me right away. Did I not?"

I couldn't hold my anger back any longer. _Who the hell gave you the right to yell at her, Elize is just a sweet girl trying to help me._ "Shut your goddamn trap, asshole! You have no right to keep me prisoner in your clinic. _I_ am the one who insisted on leaving the room. _I_ am the one who basically forced Elize to open the door so I could see that my sister was alright. So don't you _dare_ blame this all on her when you don't have your facts right." I glare at him and he just stared back, shock written all over his face. "Now, if there is nothing else you wish to say, get the _fuck_ outta my sight."

Doctor Preston's eyes flashed between Elize and I, gauging on what you say next. He somewhat cleared his throat then swallowed audibly. "The, uh, the other patient is alright to visit now." He spoke softly before he quickly turned in his heels, disappearing into his clinic. I nod stiffly to my success of scaring off the Doctor.

"By God, who pissed in his Squirrel Stew this morning?" I asked as I turn towards Elize.

I was shocked by the expression on her face, she was looking at me with adoration. Like I just saved her from a swarm of Super Mutants. "No one has ever stood up for me before." She stated softly as her cheeks grew color.

I shook my head a little. _No one has ever stood up for her? Who the hell wouldn't? She's so kind and enthusiastic._ "Well I couldn't allow him to yell at you like you're the one who's responsible for the Nuclear War."

She giggled. "Yeah, he's kind of a bitch."

"Kind of? He just about bit your head off because you hardly opened a door."

Elize nodded slightly. "Yeah, you're right, he's a total asshole. But I don't judge a lot, or I try not to. I mean, what if he's being a douchebag because one of his other patients died? Or that he slammed his hand in a door? Or dropped something on his foot? Or all of the above?" She stared at me a moment hoping that I understood - which I did. "I know it doesn't give him the right to hollar at me, but I try to think how someone's day could be worse than my own."

I gazed upon her, astonished of what she said. I sat the clothes gently on the floor and moved closed to Elize. Her eyes frantically watched me, probably wondering why I was closing the space between us. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders. Her body tensed for a moment before I felt her relax, wrapping her arms around my waist. "You are truly an angel." I found myself murmuring.

I felt her tense again. "What?"

"You are an angel that fell from heaven. You have a very pure heart... Thank you so much, Elize." I spoke softly. "You have shown me kindness that I haven't seen in a long time." I pulled back from her and saw that she was smiling shyly.

"Thank you." She looked down at my bare chest a moment before her emerald eyes found my steel blue ones. "No one has ever said anything like to me." Her face flushed. "If you ever need help, I'll be there. You can find me either working at ' _Belle Acconciature_ ', 'Gary's Galley' or the 'Weatherly Hotel'."

I stood there confused, I've never heard of the word _Acconciature_ , or the way she was speaking, It was... foreign. "Belle Acconciature? What is- its not- that doesn't sound like English. I have never heard of that word."

She smiled. "Wow, and you're smart, too." She said like she was in a dream. "You are correct, it is not English it's Italian. It means 'Fine Hairstyles', it's my shop. I get to do people's hair, it's really fun."

"That's fascinating. I didn't know you had a shop."

"Well, that's because you didn't ask." She giggled.

"And you know Italian?" I cocked a brow. "How do you know a different language?"

A coy smile played on her face. "Well, when I go out into the Wasteland-"

"Wait," I cut her off. "You go into the Wasteland _alone_?"

"Well yes. It's sort of my job. Whenever we start running low on booze, cigarettes, food, guns, so on and so forth. I'm the one who goes out there and brings back the stuff we need."

"Well what about the Caravans? You could just get everything from them."

"They only come here once every two months... ya know with the Super Mutants and all, they try to stay away from D.C. as much as they can." She shrugged.

"But anyways, about me learning Italian. I usually cross the bridge to get to the other side, and one day I wound up finding this library that's just past the Brotherhood of Steel campout, fort, thing. And on the inside we're more of the Brotherhood people, and this jerk told me to leave, like they own the entire freaking Wasteland, assholes... anyways, I convinced her that if I help her find some books and kill some Raiders she'd let me in. So then I walked around, killed some Raiders, and then that's when I found the book, _How to Speak Italian._ I read it and now I can speak Italian." She smiled for a moment, then her face fell slightly. "Sorry that was kinda long, I should have just said 'I found a book in the library'. I'm sorry."

I smiled and shook my head as I chuckled. "You really need to stop apologizing." I heard her whisper another apology. I sighed. "I didn't mind your story, to be honest I didn't even know that there was even a library over there. If I did, I would have visited it as often as possible - I love reading."

An open mouth smile appeared on her face. "You like to read? Oh my gosh, what have you read? What do you like to read? Have you read anything from the Old World? Those are my favorite." She said happily.

"Well, I have read things from the Old Nation, they're my favorite as well. I like reading history books, science books, how to repair things, mythology, science-fiction and... nevermind."

"No, no, no, tell me. I love reading all of the genres you said. Except for the repair one, that is not my forte." She looked up at me waiting for the last kind of book I like to read, but I wasn't budging. Everyone in the Vault - except for my family - made fun of me every day for reading them. Until I started leaving them in my footlocker, then everyone just assumed I stopped reading them.

"Oh, c'mon, I promise I won't laugh." She said, nudging my shoulder.

 _Might as well tell her._ I thought with a shrug. "Okay, I, um," I laughed nervously, scratching the back of my head. "I read, uh, romance novels." I mumbled the last two words, I could hardly understand myself.

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, what? I couldn't hear you."

I cleared my throat. "Romance novels..."

Elize's eyes grew in size. "You read romance novels?" She ended with an astonished smile. I nodded, looking down at my shaking head. "Thank the goddess of books I'm not the only one."

My head snapped up, quickly meeting her gaze. "You don't think I'm... weird or gay for reading them?"

She scoffed. "Hell no. If I did, don't ya think I'd be a hypocrite?" I shook my head in agreement. "I actually think it's pretty smart, you'll know how to woo a woman's heart."

We both stood there awkwardly staring at each other. I didn't want to speak because I was afraid I'd make myself look more like a fool than I already have. _Why do you give a crap if she thinks you're an idiot? It won't matter either way. After Val and I find Father, were going back to that hole in the ground you use to call home. Plus you have-_

"...I could show you tomorrow." Elize snapped me out of my thoughts.

I smiled shyly. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"

"If you want to go to the library, I could show you tomorrow. I don't have any clients on my schedule and I don't have to work."

I smiled as I nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that. I could use some new books, I've read the ones I own at least ten times each."

Elize giggled. "I know how that is." She smiled brightly. "And Joesph... _Tu sei l'uomo più grande di grazia mai il pianeta. Tu sei così dolce, e così gentile,_ " she said with a coy smile. " _Spero di avere il piacere di conoscere meglio_." She slightly bit her bottom lip, and her emerald green eyes shined brightly like she thought that I could actually understand her.

I just cocked a brow. "And what does that mean?"

Her teeth released her lip and she smiled slightly as she leaned in closer to me. Her lips were close to my ear as she stood on her tip-toes. "Wouldn't you like to know." She whispered and turned on her heals, beginning to slowly stroll down the hallway. "Good-bye Joesph. It was a pleasure to meet you."

I stood there awestruck, _Oh. My. God. That was... that was... damn me to hell for saying it but, that was hot... no one has ever spoken to me like that... not even Amata._ I cleared my throat, snapping me out of my shock. "The pleasure is all mine."

Elize got to another door that was on her right. She took a last glance at me and found that I was staring right back at her. My eyes never even left Elize as she walked away. Her cheeks flushed once more as she ducked into the room.

 _Tu sei l'uomo più grande di grazia mai il pianeta. Tu sei così dolce, e così gentile,_ _Spero di avere il piacere di conoscere meglio_. _I wonder what that means._ I kept repeating what she said to me in Italian so that it would stick. I was determined to find out what she told me.

I tore my eyes away from where Elize disappeared and at the door that separated me and Valori. I swallowed hard as my thoughts rang in my head. _What if she's dead? What if I just lost my sister and I don't even know about it? Should I go in there? I want to... but... I don't... Val... I'm scared. I want to go in there to make sure that you're okay, but if you're not then I would... die. I would be dead and numb inside._ I stood there a few moments more before I picked up the clothes and turned the wheel with ease, pushed it open.

I looked at the bed that was right in front of me, and Valori was there. She was still alive. (Not that I didn't trust Doctor Preston, it's just that his first impression was not the greatest.) My smile grew wider as I closed and locked the door. I scurried over to her side, dropping the clothes on the floor and hugged her gently as tears began to roll out of my eyes.

"You're okay... oh my God, you're okay." I held on to her for a few moments more before I let go of her. I looked around the room and found a chair that was on the opposite side, sitting next to a desk. I walked over to it and brought it over to the left side of Valori's bed. I was about to sit down, until I thought that it would be weird when she woke up and saw me half naked.

I looked around the floor and found my clothing. I picked them up, and set them in the chair before I stripped out of my tight armor pants. I then slipped the tan-ish pants on and my red button up shirt. I picked up Valori's dress before I sat down in the chair. I looked over to my right hoping to find a nightstand, but instead I found a foot locker. A smiled appeared on my face as I found my lucky fedora. I grabbed my hat and set down Valori's outfit in its place.

I looked back at my fedora then up to my sister. _My lucky fedora._ I looked at it a moment more before I lightly placed it on Valori's head - being careful to not touch the bandage wraped around her head. _It'll help you... or maybe it's just giving me hope... hope that I need right now._

As I stared at her, in this clinic bed, I couldn't help the words that passed my lips. "I'm sorry, Val." I croaked as the tears flooded from my eyes. "I'm so sorry, Val... it's all my fault. I'm so sorry... if it wasn't for me You would be awake, you would be okay." I sobbed. "It's all my fault!... I'm so sorry." I kept repeating those words over and over as the tears fell from my eyes. Within minutes I crossed my arms upon Valori's bed and began to sob into the crook of my elbow. Hoping and praying that my sister would wake up soon.

/\/\/\/\/\/\¥/\/\/\/\/\/\

 _ **Alright so I know that not all of you speak Italian so here are the translations ^·^**_

 _ **Belle Acconciature ~**_ **Fine Hairstyles**

 _ **Tu sei l'uomo più grande di grazia mai il pianeta. Tu sei così dolce, e così gentile,**_ _**Spero di avere il piacere di conoscere meglio**_ **~ You are the greatest man to ever grace the planet. You are so sweet, and so kind, I hope I get the pleasure to get to know you better.**

 **Also if any if you do speak Italian, I am sorry if I did these translations wrong, I'm still learning! So, don't judge too harshly please.**

 **Soooo what did you think about this all Joesph chapter? I tricked all y'all didn't I? You all thought Joesph was the awkward virgin, or did you know he wasn't from the first chapter?**

 **I thought that it was necessary to add this because it tells you who Joesph is, instead of him just being this scared, nerd who is forced to live in the Waste.**

 **Then there's also Elize, what do you think of her? I know she's another OC but I didn't like anyone who lives could be friends with Joesph and Valori. (Because they're gossiping jerks, or they are just plain old jerks.)**

 **Anyways, back to Elize,I was going for a sweet, happy, bubbly yet strong kind of person. Strong as in having the guts to go into the Wasteland without backup.**

 **Let me know what you lovelies think in the comments!**

 **See you guys in the next chapter! ^·^**


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